1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to tools particularly to a tool for collecting and disposing of yard debris and other similar material.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
There are numerous ways of collecting yard debris. The more sophisticated ones involve a gadget that blows all the leaves and other light debris into a pile after which the same gadget sucks the gathered debris into a special sack. However, raking is still the most common means of collecting garden debris for the average consumer. It does not consume electricity or gasoline and provide safe good old-fashioned fun and exercise for the family. Rake heads come in many different shapes, sizes and quality each laying claim to a more efficient and better way of gathering wet leaves, gathering more leaves per stroke, “feels like bamboo”, etc. They all accomplish just one thing, that is, gather the debris into a pile.
There are several types of rakes commercially available mainly through specialty catalogues that can pick up the gathered debris and deposit them into a collection bag.
One type of picking rake consists of two rakes, their rake heads facing each other and their handles joined scissors style at a point somewhere along their handles. The resulting combination picks up debris like giant tongs with each of the user's hands grasping the end of each rake handle. This is a very awkward way of picking up leaves. The fulcrum or pivoting point interferes with the line of sight of the user when used for picking up leaves. The unit is positioned vertically over the debris when picking and is subsequently lifted at another point closer to the rake head to enable the unit to clear the top of the collection basket before the handles are parted and the debris is released. It is not effective for picking if used even slightly inclined because the weight of the debris and the torque derived from the long moment arm is too much for the user to overcome. Furthermore, this combination provides the same span as a single rake head and for twice the weight.
Another type comprises a rake head and shovel combination but was shown in prior art to be heavy and complicated to operate. A shovelful is also not a large volume thereby requiring more effort and time to get the job done.
A third type consists of two half-rake heads that can fold toward each other via an intricate string trail spread on the face of each half-rake head. The user pulls the end of the string to effect the folding. The string movement is hampered when the string trail gets clogged by debris adhering to the nooks and crannies of the rake head. Furthermore, the volume of debris picked per fold is not much thereby requiring again more time and effort.
Still another type consist of a dome shaped rake head with tines arranged radially on its perimeter when in the raking mode. When the user pulls a slider along the handle, the tines collapse inwardly to envelope a ball of debris like what a person's five fingers would do to pick up something the size of about a handful. This type of rake head is laborious to fabricate and can be limited to the use of metal wires. Consequently, the pick-up volume is not much unless the circular rake head is considerably extended. Doing so with metal tines poses a safety hazard to users and other creatures nearby. Collapsing a larger head also requires more effort. The dome-shaped rake head is not as efficient in the raking mode as an ordinary planar-shaped one.
Still another prior art item as presented in U.S. Pat. No. 5,901,540 is a combination of basically two rake heads facing each other. One hand ends at a pivot connection between the two rake handles. This shorter handle rests on the longer handle in the raking mode. The rake head attached to the longer handle has tines extending in two opposite directions, one for picking and one for raking. Picking debris is accomplished by turning the combination over and allowing the rake heads to separate by virtue of the weight of the rake with the shorter handle. The debris is then sandwiched between the two rake heads and delivered to a collection basket by lifting both handles of the rake. While the pick-up volume is good, the method is awkward and cumbersome. This combination provides the span of a single rake head and for about twice the weight.
Another type consists of a regular rake head and handle that has an optional detachable scooper anchored onto the top face of and completely overlapping the rake head. To pick up debris, the user has to bring up the rake head and manipulate the fasteners which is not an easy and quick process at all. The rake and the scooper are used together to pick up debris but the user still has to stoop and bend to do so.
In general, prior art picking rakes have low pick-up volumes and at best the same raking efficiency for about twice the weight of a regular rake. Some pick-up methods need some “getting used to”. They generally do not conform to the natural tendency exhibited by a person when attempting to lift something bulky which simply consist of extending one's arms outward sideways, moving your arms toward each other and enveloping the bulky something. Again, prior art methods for picking up debris are awkward, cumbersome, and thus require more physical and mental effort.